Linked to Crashes, Serious Injury and Deaths
In early February, GM recalled 780,000 Chevrolet Cobalts and certain Pontiac vehicles to repair an ignition switch problem that can allow the key to unintentionally slip from its “run” position when the car hits a bump or if the keychain is too heavy. As a result, the defect can cause an engine shutdown and loss of power steering, brakes, and safety systems, including its airbags and anti-lock brakes.
Then on Feb. 25, GM expanded the recall to include hundreds of thousands of additional Chevy, Pontiac, and Saturn cars, bringing the total number of affected vehicles to 1.4 million.
General Motors has linked the defect to 31 crashes involving airbags that failed to deploy and the deaths of 13 motorists.
Depositions taken during a civil lawsuit against General Motors revealed the auto maker knew in 2004, a decade before it issued a recall, that its Chevrolet Cobalt had an ignition switch that could inadvertently shut off the engine while driving.
According to news reports Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York has opened a criminal probe into the circumstances surrounding the GM ignition switch recall.
We would like to talk to you about any cases involving serious injuries or deaths resulting from crashes involving the 2005-2007 Chevy Cobalt, or model year 2003-2007 Pontiac G5, Saturn Ion, Chevy HHR, Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.